George Russell finished outside the top five for the first time in the 2025 season, crossing the line in seventh place at Imola.
He described the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as a “disastrous” outing and believes there was a “fundamental issue” with his Mercedes throughout the race. Starting from third on the grid, Russell reported a strange sensation with the W16 as early as the laps to the grid, even telling his team it felt like the rear trackrod was broken due to a lack of pace.
After being overtaken by Lando Norris for third, Russell was placed on an early pit strategy that saw him drop out of the points. Though he eventually recovered to seventh, it marked his worst result of the season.
Russell pointed out that Mercedes’ recurring struggles in warmer temperatures remain unresolved in the W16, as rivals like Ferrari and Williams delivered strong performances at Imola.
“It was really strange,” Russell told reporters including RacingNews365. “Even on the way to the grid, I was flagging issues with the car. The team inspected it and found nothing unusual, but the problem persisted throughout the race.”
“We had no pace at all. When the weather is hot, we struggle massively, but in cool conditions, we’re competitive — just like last year. It felt like the rear wheels were shifting around, even on the straights. The tyres were overheating like crazy, and that points to an underlying problem.”
Russell added that Mercedes has consistently dealt with fluctuating tyre issues, sometimes with the fronts overheating, other times the rears — and that this inconsistency continues to hurt their performance.
“Every team faces a tough weekend eventually. This was ours. Red Bull had theirs in Bahrain. I’m frustrated, of course, but this is Formula 1 — different tracks, tyres, and conditions each weekend. Still, this one felt especially disappointing.”
